Meta is migrating its internal communications from Google Chat to Slack, a change detailed in a memo from the company's AI chief, Alexandr Wang, sent this week. The memo attributes the decision to Slack's capabilities for AI agents.
"Slack is the strongest platform available today for agents, which is why we're deciding to make the switch," the memo states, according to reports. It cites Slack's "rich conversational interface for agents, mature developer tooling and strong 3P integrations," referring to third-party integrations. Wang notes that while not everyone at Meta is currently building agents, "everyone at the company will benefit from a robust and useful agent ecosystem."
The move represents a notable endorsement of Slack's AI-friendly ecosystem, which has become a focus for Salesforce, the company that acquired Slack for $27.7 billion in 2021. Meta and Salesforce declined to comment on the transition, and Google did not respond to a request for comment.
The announcement comes amid broader market trends around AI agents. Salesforce's stock surged nearly 23% in a single day last week following an expanded partnership with Anthropic and an earnings release reporting strong results, among them new annual order growth and rising subscription and support revenue. In the wake of these results, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff said, "This is not the SaaSpocalypse," addressing investor worries about AI agents cannibalizing software revenue.
European Governments Move Oppositely to Sovereign Suites
While Meta turns to Slack for its internal communications, European governments have spent the past two years moving in a different direction — adopting "sovereign" messaging platforms built on open-source protocols like Matrix. This trend is driven more by control and data ownership than by integrations with AI ecosystems.
France has ordered its ministries off Windows and set a 2027 deadline to replace Teams and Zoom across 2.5 million civil servants. The French state has developed its own Matrix-based messenger, Tchap, which already boasts more than 600,000 users and runs on certified sovereign infrastructure. The state also operates its own video tool and webmail on the same stack.
Germany has pursued similar initiatives in specific regions. Schleswig-Holstein moved 44,000 mailboxes and 110 million emails off proprietary software last year, saving €15 million in licensing fees. The International Criminal Court runs openDesk, a sovereign suite built by Germany's ZenDiS, with Element providing the chat functionality. Both the German armed forces (Bundeswehr) and Swiss Post also run Matrix-based systems.
These European choices contrast with Meta's focus on integrations and agent ecosystems. While Meta's decision prioritizes the ability of AI agents to plug into a wide range of existing tools, European buyers have emphasized server control and data sovereignty, a different question that often leads to open-source solutions.
Industry observers note that Matrix, the open-source protocol used by many of these systems, is in conversation with around 35 governments about open source communications, as reported by The Register. This shows a growing interest in sovereign messaging solutions in Europe.
Regulatory Context for Switching
European customers may also benefit from regulatory provisions that facilitate switching. Under the EU Data Act, a provider may require at most two months' notice, and the transfer must be completed within 30 days. Switching charges are capped at cost until 12 January 2027, after which they are prohibited. These rules aim to reduce vendor lock-in and lower barriers to switching.
While Meta's decision highlights the appeal of a widely integrated platform, the European approach demonstrates that some enterprises prioritize control over integration, even if it means forgoing the advantages of a larger app ecosystem.
No Official Comment Yet
Meta and Salesforce have both declined to comment on the planned transition. Google also did not respond to a request for comment. The timeline for the migration or any planned phase that remains unclear.